A Pastoral Paradise Painted by a Female PhD Returnee

Photos by Zou Bin

The freedom and ease conveyed in the line“While picking asters ’neath the Eastern fence,my gaze upon the Southern mountain rests” by Tao Yuanming,a poet of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (314-420) best revealed the ideal of a literary man in building a pastoral and poetic dreamland in ancient China.More than a thousand years later,Yue Wenwen,an entrepreneur and PhD returnee from Australia,inherits Tao’s spirit and aspires to turn a vegetable farm on a barren mountain into a desirable “Shangri-la.”

A beauty,PhD graduate,pianist,TV program director,college teacher,returnee from overseas,and trendy farmer are Yue Wenwen’s labels,which,when woven together,constitute a picture of a new farmer in her composition of a modern pastoral symphony.

After more than three years’ efforts,Yue successfully founded “My Farmland,” an organic pastoral complex project at Zhoupu Village,Cangbu Town,in Xinzhou District of Wuhan City,covering an area of about 133 hectares.In so doing,she has not only realized her dream of building modern agriculture,but also led hundreds of local farmers to increase their income and lift them out of poverty.

Awarded as a “Demonstration Site for Leisure Agriculture in Hubei Province” by the Hubei Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs,her project not only carries her own business dream,but more importantly,it shoulders the mission of alleviating poverty,increasing farmers’income,and revitalizing the countryside.

Old farmers become wage earners

About 3 kilometers away to the south of the Ziwei Urban Resort in Xinzhou District,a patch of thriving garden will meet your eyes.Coming into the garden,you will find vegetables and plants green and lush,the ponds interlacing; in the distance,the villages are dotted with buildings with white walls and black tiles,all this contributes to the beautiful and peaceful countryside.

Yue Wenwen’s garden-like farm岳文雯打造的花園式農(nóng)莊

At noon on November 16,2020,having finished the work of freight delivery,Yue Wenwen came to the vegetable greenhouse to have a look.At present,it’s time to level the soil and prepare for the winter sowing of vegetables.“Uncle Jin,what are you doing?” seeing Jin Kaihua,who was busy at the door of a greenhouse,with a wave of her hand,Yue greeted him smilingly.

“I’m digging a drain ditch.It should be done before it gets dark,so that we can plant Chinese cabbage tomorrow.”

The 63-year-old widower Jin lives in a nearby village.His wife died many years ago,and his two daughters were married out of town.The lonely old man had been living on a minimum living pension.Three years ago,he was hired by Yue Wenwen to work on her project with a monthly wage of 2,400 yuan.

“Plus the rent income from my own farmland,I have an income of tens of thousands of yuan each year,so I no longer depend on the minimum living pension,” smiled Jin Kaihua.According to him,there are quite a lot of contract farmers from the villages nearby like him,who work in the garden on wages.

“采菊東籬下，悠然見南山”的灑脫自在，把農(nóng)人和詩人的境界融為一體。而作為一名創(chuàng)業(yè)者，留學(xué)澳洲歸來的女博士岳文雯追求的境界，是把荒山菜園種“世外桃源”。

美女、博士、海歸、新農(nóng)人……把她身上的標(biāo)簽組合在一起，就是一曲現(xiàn)代田園牧歌。

在新洲區(qū)倉埠鎮(zhèn)周鋪村，岳文雯經(jīng)過三年多時間，一手打造出2000 畝的有機(jī)田園綜合體項目——“我家的地”，不但完成了自己的現(xiàn)代農(nóng)業(yè)構(gòu)想，也帶動了當(dāng)?shù)財?shù)百名農(nóng)民增收脫貧。

作為湖北省農(nóng)業(yè)農(nóng)村廳授予的“湖北省休閑農(nóng)業(yè)示范點”，如今“我家的地”不但承載著岳文雯的創(chuàng)業(yè)夢想，更肩負(fù)起扶貧富農(nóng)、鄉(xiāng)村振興的重大使命。

孤寡老人種田領(lǐng)工資

從新洲紫薇都市田園景區(qū)，向南約3 公里，一片繁茂的田園映入眼簾。走進(jìn)田園，菜苗蔥郁，池塘交錯，遠(yuǎn)處村莊白墻黑瓦，讓人置身一片安靜和諧之中。

2020年11月16日中午，忙完貨運(yùn)派發(fā)的工作，岳文雯便抽空到園區(qū)蔬菜大棚轉(zhuǎn)轉(zhuǎn)。

眼下正是平整土地，準(zhǔn)備蔬菜冬播的時候?！敖饚煾?，在忙啥呢？”在一間蔬菜大棚門口，岳文雯看到正在忙碌的金開華，笑著揮手打招呼。

“挖水溝呢，今天天黑前要把排水溝挖好，明天種小白菜?！苯痖_華停下手中的活回應(yīng)道。

今年63 歲的金開華，住在附近的范咀村，老伴去世好多年了，兩個女兒都嫁到了外地。獨居的他以前是村里的低保戶，三年前被岳文雯招聘到園區(qū)工作，每月有2400 元的工資。

“自家農(nóng)田被流轉(zhuǎn)后的租金收入，每年有幾萬元，現(xiàn)在低保戶的帽子也摘了，成了上班族?！苯痖_華笑著說，在周邊金港村、周鋪村、洪山村，還有不少像他一樣的簽約農(nóng)民，領(lǐng)著固定工資干活。

今年62 歲的村民李冬英，老伴患病癱瘓在床10多年，需要每天服藥，兒子媳婦常年在外打工，身邊有10 歲的孫子需要照顧，家里入不敷出。

“去年經(jīng)過招聘，李婆婆到我們園區(qū)來種菜，每月有固定收入，平時可以休假、請假，兼顧家人?！痹牢啮┙榻B，農(nóng)民們既有村集體股東收益、個人土地出租租金，還有在公司當(dāng)農(nóng)工的工資收益，這種靈活的工作模式，幫助很多村民解決了眼前的困難。

有機(jī)蔬菜聽著音樂長大

海歸博士、鋼琴表演者、電視導(dǎo)演、大學(xué)老師……岳文雯身上有很多的標(biāo)簽，但她自己更喜歡的身份，是創(chuàng)業(yè)的新農(nóng)人。

對“新農(nóng)人”的理解，來源于岳文雯留學(xué)時的經(jīng)歷?！爱?dāng)我在澳洲留學(xué)的時候，非常喜歡去當(dāng)?shù)氐挠袡C(jī)農(nóng)場玩，不僅菜好、園區(qū)打造得精致入微，菜園猶如花園，讓人流連忘返，當(dāng)時我就想把這種有生命力的農(nóng)場也搬到我的老家?！彼f。2017年，岳文雯在家人朋友的支持下，成立了我家的地（武漢）農(nóng)業(yè)科技有限公司。

為農(nóng)場選址，岳文雯做了大量的調(diào)研工作。新洲倉埠是岳文雯老公的家鄉(xiāng)，她發(fā)現(xiàn)這里自然環(huán)境非常好，土質(zhì)優(yōu)良、水源直接從長江引入，近150 公里內(nèi)沒有工業(yè)污染，是種植有機(jī)蔬菜的沃土。

在岳文雯的有機(jī)田園綜合體，蔬菜享受的豪華待遇讓人驚訝，農(nóng)田錯落有致，有機(jī)蔬菜聽著音樂長大，不施用化肥、不使用除草劑，嚴(yán)格按照有機(jī)綠色農(nóng)業(yè)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)種植。

岳文雯與武漢理工大學(xué)、華中農(nóng)業(yè)大學(xué)等知名高校建立產(chǎn)學(xué)研合作平臺，建立自己的品控體系，三年來專注有機(jī)種植，擁有了27 項發(fā)明專利，全年生產(chǎn)168 種有機(jī)蔬菜。其生態(tài)農(nóng)業(yè)田園綜合體還兼具農(nóng)耕研學(xué)、農(nóng)事體驗、觀光旅游、航天育種孵化科研基地、航天科普基地等功能。

For over ten years,the 62-year-old villager,Li Dongying,has tended to her bed-ridden husband and helped him take medicine every day.What’s more,both her son and daughter-in-law are migrant workers in the city,so the 10-year-old grandson has to live with Li.With these difficulties,she could hardly make ends meet.

“After being interviewed,Granny Li came to my farm to plant vegetables on fixed wages every month.She could also take a vacation,and ask for a leave so that she could take care of her family,” said Yue Wenwen.According to Yue,the farmers could enjoy the interest from their collective shareholders in the village,the rent income of their own farmland,and their wages from working for the company.This flexible working mode has helped lots of villagers solve their financial problems.

Growing vegetables in the background of music

Yue Wenwen’s favorite “l(fā)abel” is a modern farmer.

Yue’s perception of “modern farmer” originated from her own overseas experience in Australia.“When studying in Australia,I loved to visit the local organic farm.Not only were the vegetables there green,the whole farm was built in such an exquisite way that it looked like a garden,which made you reluctant to leave once you were in it.At that time,I was considering building a farm of this type in my hometown as well,” said Yue.In 2017,with the support of her family and friends,she set up My Farmland (Wuhan) Agricultural Science and Technology Ltd.

In order to choose a suitable location for her farm,Yue had done a great deal of research.Then she found that Cangbu Town in Xinzhou District,her husband’s hometown,was a perfect place for growing organic vegetables,for its good natural environment and fine soil conditions.Moreover,the water needed could be drained directly from the Yangtze River,and there is no industrial pollution of any kind within 150 kilometers of the area.

On Yue’s organic farm,the surroundings for planting the vegetables is amazing: the fields there are well-woven; with music played in the background,the organic vegetables grow up in strict accordance with the green organic agricultural standard,free from chemical fertilizers and herbicides.

In addition,Yue Wenwen established a cooperative platform with some prestigious universities like Wuhan University of Technology and Huazhong Agricultural University to build her own quality control system.Over the past three years,she has been dedicated to organic farming,owning 27 patents and producing 168 kinds of organic vegetables yearly.Furthermore,her ecological agricultural farm plays a variety of roles such as an agricultural research center,a source of personal experience in farming,a spot for sightseeing,a scientific research base for space breeding,and a base for the popularization of space science.

Zhang Ningqiao,a farmer working in the garden,told us that the garden often invited agricultural experts to give lectures and offer training on vegetable growing and the operation of agricultural equipment.“We are now farming in a scientific way.Though the work is easier for us,we get more money than before.So,we all feel so happy.”

According to relevant statistics,at present,My Farmland has directly offered 176 jobs for local farmers,and indirectly increased the income of more than 500 villagers,thus lifting over 40 low-income households out of poverty.As a leading project in the region,it has promoted the development of 46 local small and medium-sized agricultural businesses.

Yue Wenwen (right) is chatting with Jin Kaihua,a farmer in the field岳文雯（右）和金開華菜地里聊天

Donating 2 million worth of materials to support the anti-epidemic battle

As an entrepreneur,Yue Wenwen is chiefly concerned with business development,while as a citizen of Wuhan,she also cares a lot about the safety of the city.In the battle against the COVID-19 epidemic in Wuhan in 2020,Yue Wenwen exclaimed that “My Farmland is everyone’s land,our vegetables are Wuhan citizens’ vegetables as well.”

Yue led her employees to the front,working hard in the forefront for the supply of vegetables to the residents in Wuhan.Statistics show that,during the anti-epidemic period,My Farmland managed to supply all together 1,564,000 kilograms of vegetables and fruits,and donated more than 2 million worth of materials in total.

“After the epidemic,our organic products were well-received by the citizens of Wuhan and the demand for our products has risen dramatically,”said Yue Wenwen.Having experienced the epidemic personally,she has developed a deeper understanding of the close connection between a business and a city,and determined to be a more dedicated contributor to the cause of relieving poverty,increasing farmers’ income,and revitalizing the countryside.(Translation: Liu Jie)

在園區(qū)工作的農(nóng)民張寧橋告訴記者，園區(qū)定期還會邀請農(nóng)業(yè)專家，對農(nóng)民進(jìn)行蔬菜種植業(yè)務(wù)培訓(xùn)、農(nóng)耕器械操作等，“我們現(xiàn)在是科技種田，干的活更輕松，拿的錢更多，大家都樂開了花?！?/p>

據(jù)統(tǒng)計，目前“我家的地”直接解決當(dāng)?shù)?76 個農(nóng)民上崗再就業(yè)，間接帶動500 多人增收，帶領(lǐng)40多戶貧困戶脫貧?！拔壹业牡亍睅赢?dāng)?shù)?6 家中小型農(nóng)業(yè)企業(yè)發(fā)展。

為戰(zhàn)疫捐物超200 萬元

作為一名創(chuàng)業(yè)者，最關(guān)注的是企業(yè)發(fā)展，而作為一名武漢市民，岳文雯同樣心系城市的危難。在今年武漢抗擊新冠肺炎疫情中，岳文雯振臂一呼：“‘我家的地’就是大家的地，我們的蔬菜就是市民的蔬菜?！?/p>

岳文雯帶領(lǐng)公司人員沖鋒在前，奮戰(zhàn)在武漢市民蔬菜供給的第一線。據(jù)統(tǒng)計，疫情期間“我家的地”累計為武漢市民保供蔬果312.8 萬斤，捐贈物資總額超過200 多萬元。

“疫情之后，我們的有機(jī)產(chǎn)品得到廣大市民的好評，需求也大幅提高?！痹牢啮┱f，經(jīng)歷過疫情，她更加深刻地理解了企業(yè)與一個城市的緊密關(guān)聯(lián)，也更堅定了她堅持扶貧富農(nóng)、振興鄉(xiāng)村的信心。